Fire extinguisher mechanism for a trailer

ABSTRACT

Flat enclosed tanks are provided for mounting above the ceiling of a trailer, on the roof or between the roof and ceiling, to receive water directed threinto from conduits to which a supply hose is connected. Each of the tanks has a vent passageway with a float closure valve of the flappet or ball type to permit the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;in&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; and &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;out&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; movement of the air. The space between the tanks may be provided with air containers which are enclosed by a cover to have the plurality of tanks appear continuous. The water will close the float valve of the vent passageways and the pressure thereof will close the valve to the air containers which may be pressurized thereafter. A plurality of sprinkler heads extend downwardly from the tanks through the ceiling having a low melting point solder which is melted by the heat to cause the sprinkler heads to operate. First by the pressure of the water and when this lowers, because of the greater flow outwardly than inwardly, the valve to the air containers will be open so that air may flow into the tanks to continue to force the water therein outwardly as a supply is continuously added thereto although at a lower rate. A sufficient amount of water under pressure will be sprayed from the heads to extinguish any ordinary fire which may occur within the confines of the trailer.

United States Patent [1 1 Green [4 1 May 20, 1975 1 FIRE EXTINGUISHER MECHANISM FOR A TRAILER [76] Inventor: William M. Green, 1 1278 Ford Rd.,

Brighton, Mich, 48116 [22] Filed: Mar. 11, 1974 [21] App]. No.: 449,610

[52] US. Cl. 169/62; 169/16; 169/26; 220/44 13 [51] Int. Cl. A62c 35/12 [58] Field of Search 269/26, 62, 16; 220/44 B, 220/86 R [56} References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 265,896 10/1882 Van Nostrand 169/62 879,966 2/1908 Hunt et a1 169/62 X 2,273,737 2/1942 Snyder 220/44 B 2,596,761 5/1952 Carpani 169/62 X 3,614,987 10/1971 Bonne et a1 169/62 X Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant ExaminerMichael Mar Attorney, Agent, or FirmHarness, Dickey & Pierce [57] ABSTRACT Flat enclosed tanks are provided for mounting above the ceiling of a trailer, on the roof or between the roof and ceiling, to receive water directed threinto from conduits to which a supply hose is connected. Each of the tanks has a vent passageway with a float closure valve of the flappet or ball type to permit the in and out" movement of the air. The space between the tanks may be provided with air containers which are enclosed by a cover to have the plurality of tanks appear continuous. The water will close the float valve of the vent passageways and the pressure thereof will close the valve to the air containers which may be pressurized thereafter.

A plurality of sprinkler heads extend downwardly from the tanks through the ceiling having a low melting point solder which is melted by the heat to cause the sprinkler heads to operate. First by the pressure of the water and when this lowers, because of the greater flow outwardly than inwardly, the valve to the air containers will be open so that air may flow into the tanks to continue to force the water therein outwardly as a supply is continuously added thereto although at a lower rate. A sutfficient amount of water under pressure will be sprayed from the heads to extinguish any ordinary fire which may occur within the confines of the trailer.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures FIRE EXTINGUISHER MECHANISM FOR A TRAILER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION While automatic sprinkler systems employing conduits and sprinkler heads are old in the art, the use of tanks withwater, under pressure by water and air, provides a new combination useable for small confined areas such as that of a trailer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A trailer is usually constructed with the door in the side adjacent to one end which provides a hazard at the opposite end for occupants should a fire start in the central or forward part of the trailer. Now and then the occupant becomes trapped and is unable to reach the door or to extinguish the flame before being overcome by the heat, smoke and lack of oxygen. The water supply hose to a trailer is too small to operate a sprinkler system containing a plurality of sprinkler heads. To provide an effective system, tank units of predetermined shape and dimension are employed which may be mounted in tandem on the top of the trailer roof or between the ceiling and roof with sprinkler heads extending downwardly therefrom through the ceiling.

The tanks are interconnected by a conduit system which fills the tanks with water as the air therewithin is vented through a pipe at the top of the tank units. A float valve is provided for the vent pipe which is raised to close the opening by the water When the tank is approximately filled. In the areas between the tanks an air container may be provided which is filled with air under pressure and connected to a pressure valve within the tank. The valve is closed by the pressure of the water when the tanks are filled therewith permitting the container to be filled with air under pressure.

When the sprinkler heads are open and the pressure on the water is substantially reduced, because of the greater outflow of water than that being admitted within the tank, the air valve is open permitting the air to spread over the top of the water and force it from the sprinkler heads. The tanks are approximately six feet long, three feet wide and eight inches high and will hold approximately 75 gallons of water. Thus, if four of the tank units are placed in tandem above or below the roof lengthwise and centrally thereof, 300 gallons of water can be stored therewithin which is believed to be more than an adequate supply, if expelled under pressure from the sprinkler heads, to extinguish an ordinary fire which may occur within the interior of the trailer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a broken plan view of a trailer roof having tank units of the present invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken on the line 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken on the line 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the area between a pair of tanks showing an air container mounted therein, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of one unit of a mobile home showing the tank system provided below the roof and above the ceiling.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The fire extinguishing structure used in the system of the present invention embodies a modular tank unit 6 which is made of aluminum, steel, plastic or the like to have a bottom 7, sloping sides 8 and a top 9 which may vary in dimensions but which in the present instance is approximately 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 8 inches high. A flange 11 is provided at the bottom of the tank unit by which it is secured in fixed position and from which the sides slope inwardly at an angle of approximately 30. As illustrated in FIG. 1, four of the units are mounted in tandem on the roof 12 of a trailer 13 and secured thereon by a plurality of screws 14. The tank units are provided with a U'shaped vent tube 16 which is mounted on the top 9 thereof. The vent tube 16 is illustrated enlarged and in section in FIG. 3 as having a valve seat 17 containing an opening 18 defined by a surface of spherical section which is engageable by a float ball 19 supported within a cage 21 at the base of the vent unit.

Each adjacent pair of tank units is joined by a conduit 22 having a tee 23 from which a conduit 24 extends to the edge of the roof where a nozzle 25 of conventional form is secured, The two nozzles are connected by a conduit 26 having a tee 27 with a threaded extension 28 to which a branch from the hose supplying water to the trailer is connected. With this arrangement, the tank units will be simultaneously filled with water with the air within the tanks escaping through the vent tubes 16. When the tanks are approximately filled, the balls 19 will be floated against the seat 18 and prevent the passage of water or air out through the vent tubes. The pressure of water will also close a valve 31 to which an air container 32 is connected. The container can be made of elastomeric material and be shaped to fit within the area 33 between adjacent tank units. The area 33 is enclosed by a plate 34 having the shape of the cross section of the tank, with flanges at the side edges which mate with the flange 11 of the tank units. A valve and stem 35 extends through the cover 34 through which air is delivered to the containers under pressure after the water has filled the tank units and closed the valves 31. The tanks have one or more sprinkler heads 36 extending downwardly therefrom through the ceiling 37 of the trailer. The heads 36 become operable when heat from a fire melts a low temperature solder which normally retains the valve of the heads closed. When the solder melts, the valves will immediately open and release a supply of water under the pressure of the water entering the nozzle 25 which will be reduced as the water is being forced from the heads 36. When the pressure of the water drops a sufficient amount, the valves 31 will open and admit air into the tank units and maintain a desirable pressure on the water and on the float ball 19 which is maintained closed by the pressure of air. The water will be sprayed from the heads 36 in an amount sufficient to extinguish an ordinary blaze soon after it starts. It is to be understood that, depending upon the location of the tanks, precaution will be taken to prevent the water from freezing and this can be done by employing an antifreeze solution within the tank units or using electric heat or heat present within the trailer to prevent the water from freezing.

When the tank units 6 are mounted above the ceiling beneath the roof, as illustrated in the half unit of FIG. 5, the heating of the trailer will be sufficient to prevent the water within the tank units from freezing. The plurality of tank units 6 mounted above the ceiling beneath the roof, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and in the other half of the mobile home will be sufficient, when the two halves are connected together, to adequately protect the interior from fire. The supply of water to the tank units as well as air thereto will follow the steps above described with relation to the tank units employed on the roof of the trailer, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4.

While it is possible to reinforce the roof or other structure above the ceiling to support the tank units in a manner to withstand the surging of the water when hauling the trailer over a road, it would be more desirable to drain the water from the tank units in view of the substantial weight located at the top part of the trailer. The mere connecting of the hose and the turning on of the nozzles will permit the admission of water to fill the tank units after which air can be conducted to the air containers 32 to render the system operational.

I claim:

1. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer, tank means for holding water, overhead supporting means for said tank means, said tank means being mounted in adjacent relation with the adjacent walls sloping downwardly to form a V-shaped recess, fill means for introducing water into said tank means, and vent means on said tank means for permitting the flow of air therethrough as water flows into and out of the tank means until filled therewith when the water closes the vent means.

2. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 1, wherein said fill means has a supply hose connected thereto to supply water under pressure to the tank units as it flows therefrom when extinguishing a fire.

3. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 1, wherein air containing units are mounted in the V-shaped recess between the tank units, and a valve within the tank units to which the air containing units are attached, said valve being opened when the pressure of the water reduces to a predetermined amount.

4. ln a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 3, wherein the tank units are rectangular in shape and provided with sloping side walls which form triangular recesses at the adjacent ends in which said air containing units are supported.

5. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 4, wherein a cover plate the shape of the top and sides of the tank units extends across the recesses between the tank units to enclose said air containing unit.

6. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 4, wherein the tank units are rectangular in shape and provided with sloping side walls which form triangular recesses at the ends of less width, and a cover plate the shape of the top and sides of the tank unit extending across said recesses to provide a continuous appearance to the plurality of tank units. 

1. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer, tank means for holding water, overhead supporting means for said tank means, said tank means being mounted in adjacent relation with the adjacent walls sloping downwardly to form a V-shaped recess, fill means for introducing water into said tank means, and vent means on said tank means for permitting the flow of air therethrough as water flows into and out of the tank means until filled therewith when the water closes the vent means.
 2. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 1, wherein said fill means has a supply hose connected thereto to supply water under pressure to the tank units as it flows therefrom when extinguishing a fire.
 3. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 1, wherein air containing units are mounted in the V-shaped recess between the tank units, and a valve within the tank units to which the air containing units are attached, said valve being opened when the pressure of the water reduces to a predetermined amount.
 4. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 3, wherein the tank units are rectangular in shape and provided with sloping side walls which form triangular recesses at the adjacent ends in which said air containing units are supported.
 5. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 4, wherein a cover plate the shape of the top and sides of the tank units extends across the recesses between the tank units to enclose said air containing unit.
 6. In a fire extinguishing system for a trailer as recited in claim 4, wherein the tank units are rectangular in shape and provided with sloping side walls which form triangular recesses at the ends of less width, and a cover plate the shape of the top and sides of the tank unit extending across said recesses to provide a continuous appearance to the plurality of tank units. 